FSU's Jimbo Fisher wants five-year eligibility for college football players and he isn't alone

May 14, 2014|By Brendan Sonnone, Orlando Sentinel

AMELIA ISLAND — Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is a proponent of getting an extra year to work with his players.

What coach wouldn't be?

Under NCAA rules, players currently have four years of eligibility, which they can complete during the course of five seasons. Fisher is in favor of a "five for five" plan, which would give players five years and seasons of eligibility.

Adding an extra season of eligibility was a topic of discussion at the week-long ACC spring meetings, which come to a close Thursday.

But that is all "five for five" is at this point, a topic of discussion.

"For some reason, it hasn't grabbed a hold," Fisher said. "I don't know the downside, because the great players are gone [early to the NFL,] anyway. And if you redshirt a guy, the guy's out, how is that any different than if a guy graduates after four [years] and he's leaving anyway? So tell me the downside of five for five.

"Coaches kind of like it. There aren't many who are against it, I know that."

Fisher has had success figuring out when to redshirt players.

FSU quarterback Jameis Winston, offensive lineman Cameron Erving and former center Bryan Stork, key players on last season's national title team, sat out one season and were given time to develop. Winston won the Heisman after one season on the sidelines, Stork went from under-the-radar prospect to NFL draft pick and Erving is projected to be a high draft pick next year.

But there was much internal debate among the FSU coaches before deciding to hold out those players for one season.

Football coaches normally face a dilemma when dealing with freshmen. Does a coach redshirt a player as he adjusts to a much more physically and mentally demanding level of football in order to preserve a year of eligibility? Or does he allow the player to get game experience right away in order to expedite his learning curve while adding depth to the current roster?

The downside of using a redshirt is if a player competes in a game at any point of the season, he no longer is eligible for that redshirt season and a year of eligibility is essentially wasted.

Fisher's "five for five" idea is nothing new, although it's starting to gain some traction nationally. Pittsburgh athletics director Steve Pederson said he's pushed for five seasons of eligibility for nearly two decades now.

"We've talked about it, we've brought it up, but it never seems to get very far," Pederson said. "It's frustrating to me because I don't understand why it doesn't get more progress."

The change would cut out a lot of that guesswork, according to Fisher.

The lack of momentum behind the rule change is befuddling to some, although NC State athletics director Debbie Yow suggests some may be hesitant because offering a fifth season of eligibility could potentially change four-year graduation rates. Graduation rates are tied to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, which measures the eligibility and retention of college athletes. Failing to consistently meet APR standards could result in postseason bans for programs.

"I don't know if anyone has any statistical analysis to prove that it would," Yow said. "I don't know that. That might be one of those things that you try and see how it goes.

"It's a very interesting notion and it's not a new notion. It's worth attention."

A variety of other structural changes loom for college athletics, including as potentially broadening the NCAA's special assistance fund. The fund currently is restricted to low-income students and allows schools to pay for emergencies such as attendance at the funeral of a family member. If schools are allowed to use the special assistance fund to support more athletes more often, other rule changes such as adding a fifth season of eligibility could become a legitimate talking point.

"If you were ever going to, probably now or the next couple of years would be the time to try that," Yow said. "There is a legislative moratorium right now and we can't really act on too many things right now. If it goes as we hope and the new structure is approved in August, we can be off and running on those type of questions."

Pederson said that athletics directors discussed adding another year of eligibility at the ACC meetings, but a vote did not occur.

"So I don't know what the consensus would be," Pederson said. "It seems like most people think it'll probably make sense.

"Kids could come in, they could play right away. …Why not let everyone play? Let them play five years."